An80-dincubationexperimentwasconductedtoinvestigatestrawdecomposition,theprimingeffectandmicrobialcharacteristicsinanon-fertilizedsoil(soil1)andalong-termorganicmanure-fertilizedsoil(soil2)withandwithout13C-labeledmaizestrawamendmentunderdifferentmoisturelevels.Thesoil2showedamarkedlyhigherprimingeffect,microbialbiomassC(Cmic),andβ-glucosidaseactivity,andmoreabundantpopulationsofbacteriaandfungithanthesoil1.Also,soilCO2emission,Cmic,β-glucosidaseactivity,andbacterialandfungalpopulationsizesweresubstantiallyenhancedbystrawamendment.Inthepresenceofstraw,theamountofstrawmineralizationandassimilationbymicrobesinthesoilat55%ofwaterholdingcapacity(WHC)weresignificantlyhigherby31%and17%,respectively,comparedtothoseat25%ofWHC.Incontrast,β-glucosidaseactivityandfungalpopulationsizewerebothenhancedasthemoisturecontentdecreased.Cmicdecreasedasstrawavailabilitydecreased,whichwasmainlyattributedtothereductionofstraw-derivedCmic.Amendedsoils,excepttheamendedsoil2at25%ofWHC,hadamoreabundantfungalpopulationasstrawavailabilitydecreased,indicatingthatfungaldecomposabilityofaddedstrawwasindependentofstrawavailability.Non-metricmultidimensionalscalinganalysisbasedonfungaldenaturedgradientgelelectrophoresisbandpatternsshowedthatshiftsinthefungalcommunitystructureoccurredaswaterandstrawavailabilityvaried.Theresultsindirectlysuggestthatsoilfungiareabletoadjusttheirdegradationactivitytowaterandstrawavailabilitybyregulatingtheircommunitystructure.
